Washington County Sheriff's Office, Arkansas
End of Watch: Saturday, July 2, 1881
Age: 37
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: July 2, 1881
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Never apprehended
Deputy Sheriff John Mount and City Marshal William Patton, of the Fayetteville Police Department, were shot and killed while standing in the town square.
Marshal Patton had received death threats after fatally shooting a man while making an arrest several months prior. As he and Deputy Mount spoke in the town square they were shot from ambush and both killed. Their killer was never apprehended.
Deputy Mount was survived by his wife and four children. Deputy Mount was a Confederate Civil War Veteran enlisting in 1861 at age 17 with the Arkansas 16th Infantry, Company G. He and his entire regiment of 248 officers and men surrendered to General Nathaniel Banks on July 9, 1863, after being trapped by Banks' Army and the Union Navy for 48 days at Port Hudson, Louisiana. He was paroled on November 13, 1863. He reentered the war and surrendered with his regiment in 1865.